When Fish, Wildlife & Parks put out the word on October 12 about a bull elk being poached south of Hysham, the public was furious. A Region 7 Facebook post about the case reached 279,611 people, the vast majority of whom were very vocal about wanting to see justice in this case. Now, thanks to a tip from the public, the person suspected of cutting the bull’s head off and wasting the meat has been identified.

“We identified the individual who allegedly poached that elk, as well as several other unlawful animals from this season,” said Region 7 Warden Connor Langel, “and the tip came from the public.”

Langel said he could not release the person’s name or further details at this point, as no formal charges have been filed, but he thanked the public for their interest and cooperation, as well as the area media for helping to spread the news. Langel and his FWP colleagues will continue to work the case, and the agency hopes to provide more details in the future.

The elk was killed 30 miles south of Hysham on October 6. Its head was cut off and all of the meat left to waste in a farmer’s alfalfa field.